by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

The race for the 2013 Heisman Trophy begins where last season's chase left off, with the rest of the FBS on the heels of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel â?? this according to the early Heisman odds supplied by Bovada, an online sports book.

Bovada gives Manziel 4-1 odds to become only the second two-time winner in the trophy's history, joining former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin, who pulled off the repeat in 1974 and 1975. Bovada is on the same page with Covers.com, which gave Manziel 3-1 odds in an early hypothetical list on Dec. 10.

In all, Bovada lists 23 players â?? 14 quarterbacks, six running backs, two wide receivers and one ridiculously talented defensive end â?? with odds ranging from Manziel's 4-1 to 40-1.

Every returning player who finished in the top 10 of last year's Heisman voting made the cut, minus one glaring exception: Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch. Obviously, Bovada believes that Lynch's below-average showing in January's Orange Bowl loss to Florida State will hamper his Heisman hopes in 2013.

Looking for good bang for your buck? I'd consider the quarterbacks on the back end of Bovada's list, like Oklahoma's Blake Bell â?? a more dual-threat replacement for Landry Jones â?? and Florida's Jeff Driskel; the latter, like Florida's entire offense, is poised to take a step forward in 2013.

And as for Clowney, that the junior is getting some early Heisman publicity is indicative of his ability to impact a game from the defensive side of the ball. While Manti Te'o made a run at the Heisman last winter, few defenders have ever been in the mix this early in the process.

And what about a few players who might be missing from Bovada's list? Lynch would be one, regardless of his play against the Seminoles. A few others: Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins, Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas (if he can beat Alabama in the opener), Texas quarterback David Ash, Northwestern running back Venric Mark, Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly and LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger.

Also, to highlight how quickly your money can go to waste, consider that of the 23 players on Bovada's early odds for the 2012 Heisman, seven missed at least a portion of last season due to injury (Matt Barkley, Denard Robinson, Tyler Wilson, James Franklin, Marcus Lattimore, Rex Burkhead and Henry Josey), one missed two games to a suspension (Sammy Watkins) and two never played a down on the FBS level (Tyrann Mathieu and Isaiah Crowell).